1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microscope system for recording and observing a wide vision and high definition digital image of the entirety, or a part of, a sample by using a microscope, an observation method used by a microscope system and an observation program therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an observable range at once is mainly determined by a magnification of an object lens in the case of observing a sample by using a microscope. Larger the magnification, higher the definition of an image on one hand, narrower the observation range on the other. Accordingly being performed is to photograph a plurality of images by moving the vision by using a motorized stage, et cetera, and adhere or combine them together, thereby making a wide vision and high definition microscope image for utilizing in a pathological diagnosis (e.g., refer to Laid-Open Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 09-281405, 2003-295063; Japanese Translation of PCT International Application Nos. 2001-519944, 2002-514319, 2004-514920).
Furthermore, similar methods are performed for obtaining a three-dimensional wide vision and high definition microscope image having different focus positions (e.g., refer to Laid-Open Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2004-151263, 2005-37902).
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a microscope system capable of constructing a wide vision and high definition (including a slice image having different focus positions) microscope image without requiring a work by an expert such as a pathologist, of reducing a storage capacity for recording and storing after a pathologist observing and/or determining a diagnosis, and of forming and displaying a wide vision and high definition microscope image; and an observation method and observation program for use in the microscope system.